Troy Wolverton

4 days ago | sfexaminer.com | Troy Wolverton

If you want to understand how the burgeoning artificial-intelligence industry has developed the way it has, Karen Hao said you should focus on OpenAI and the concept of empires.

1 week ago | sfexaminer.com | Troy Wolverton

In seeking to prevent artificial-intelligence systems from causing catastrophic or widespread harm without thwarting innovation, California should — at least least initially — prioritize transparency, an advisory panel said in a report issued this week.

1 week ago | sfexaminer.com | Troy Wolverton

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: A highly valued San Francisco-based startup goes public and has a successful debut on Wall Street, sparking talk of a long-awaited rebound in the tech initial-public offering market.  That same scenario has played out three times in the last 21 months. Despite their successful offerings, neither Instacart’s debut in September 2023 nor Reddit’s six months later opened up the doors of the IPO market for tech and venture-backed startups.

2 weeks ago | sfexaminer.com | Troy Wolverton

Uber and Lyft drivers are a big step closer to being able to form a union in California. The state Assembly this month overwhelmingly passed a bill that would permit such workers to organize. The legislation — Assembly Bill 1340 — is now in the state Senate, where it will likely be taken up by one or two committees before receiving a floor vote. The last day for each chamber to pass bills is Sept. 12.

2 weeks ago | sfexaminer.com | Troy Wolverton

In San Francisco, unlike elsewhere in the country, it’s not a great time to be an electrician. But even in The City’s depressed market, at least some local electricians have been able to find steady work.  Take Alex Skelton. He has been a journeyman electrician since 2014, when he finished his apprenticeship. In that time, the only day he has had to take off involuntarily was the day the lockdowns began at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even then, he was back at work the next day.